Friday, January 17, 2014

Baked Apples a la Mode

This past fall I must have stopped at the apple orchard near the east coast farmhouse at least a half dozen times to pick my favorite Honey Crisp apples. Because every time I take a bite of a Honey Crisp apple I am momentarily taken back to Boulder, the place where I first discovered them at a Saturday morning Farmer's Market. (Isn't it funny how when eating some foods we can vividly remember when and where and often even with who we first tasted them? If only everything we ever read, heard or learned was that easy to remember!) Okay, one tangential thought sometimes leads to another. The orchard had rows and rows of all varieties of apples, but apparently I had apple tunnel vision and picked only one variety. If I could have an apple picking do over, I would have expanded my apple gathering to include Gala apples (and if Granny Smith apples were at the orchard I would have pick them as well). And if this was actually possible, then it would have been this beautiful orchard where I first picked and bought Gala apples (certainly a better story than buying them in the grocery store). Other than baking with and eating Granny Smith apples as well as eating Honey Crisp apples, I have pretty much been a two apple kind of girl. Up until now that is.

If you take the Victorian proverb 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' literally, you might be able to make that case that the health benefits of apples are not just limited to the consumption of raw apples. What if it were possible that an apple filled with a brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and raisin filling, baked in the oven until fork tender, and served either with or without vanilla ice cream could be equally as healthy as a raw apple? Okay it is highly unlikely, but think of eating a Baked Apple a la Mode as at least half healthy and a 'detaining the doctor' dessert.


I am not sure I remember ever eating an apple simply baked without a crust or crumble topping. However, if I had I am certain it would have left a permanent imprint on my memory. And I have Jenny McCoy, author of book Desserts for Every Season (and a pastry chef with ties to Chicago, including the amazing Blackbird restaurant), to thank for giving me my first experience making, eating and appreciating the deliciousness of apples simply baked with a raisin filling and sauce. While I probably should have tried one of her winter desserts first, I absolutely love warm apple desserts and this one seemed to say 'make me first'. So I did, but not exactly according to her directions.


It's not because I am an accomplished pastry chef (I am not), it's because I bought 'large' and not 'medium-sized' Gala apples that I needed to make some changes to the recipe. The larger Gala apples just looked so beautiful and they all had stems on them so I had to buy them. I figured I would have to adjust the baking time (and I had to). I also thought I would have to either increase the ingredients for the filling or make a sauce separate from the filling. I ended up making a sauce separate from the filling but keeping the ratios of ingredients the same (and making extra sauce turned out to be a good thing). 


The filling and subsequently the sauce is made up of unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, vanilla paste and raisins. The original recipe called for the use of a vanilla bean, however, my go to substitution is always vanilla paste. Dark or golden raisins or a combination of the two can be used. I had some golden raisins left over from another recipe so I just mixed them in with the dark raisins. Next time I make this, I will use equal portions of the dark and golden raisins only because I like how this combination looks. In a medium sized bowl all of these ingredients are mixed and set aside while you prepare the apples.

I bought my first Shun knife a week ago and initiated it to cut the apples. I love my Wusthof knives, but this 'razor sharp piece of art' knife was amazing. It made slicing off the tops (about 3/4 inch thick) of the apples so easy. Hint: Make sure to keep the cut tops with their matching apple bottoms.


The core of each apple is removed with a large melon baller. Make sure you don't create a hole in the bottom of the apple when removing the core as you don't want the filling leaking out of the bottom of the apple.


Once all of the apples are prepared, spoon and pack the filling into the carved out core. Top each apple with the matching top and place all apples in a deep large baking dish or pan.

Add 1/4 inch of water to the baking dish/pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. After 15 minutes, poke holes in the aluminum foil with a skewer and continue baking. Okay here is where my baking time differed dramatically. 


For medium sized apples, Jenny McCoy says it should take another 10-15 minutes for the apples to get to the fork tender stage. I baked the apples for another 60 minutes before they got to this stage, however, I attribute this to the size of the Gala apple I used. I initially set the oven time for 30 minutes and continued baking in 15 minute increments. When the apples are fork tender, remove from the oven.


I may have removed more than just the core of the apple, not too much but enough that I used all of the filling (the large size apple also contributed to using up all of the filling, not leaving enough for the additional raisin topping added once the apples finish baking). I used the same ingredient ratios and made the raisin sauce in a small saucepan. 

Before serving, place a large tablespoon of the raisin sauce on the apple, replace the top and plate. This is a dessert you definitely want to serve immediately after baking or while still warm. As delicious as the baked apple is all on its' own, it begs to be served with some vanilla ice cream. When you serve the Baked Apples a la Mode to family and friends, you just might be compelled to borrow a line from the classic film Good Will Hunting 'How do you them apples?"
Recipe
Baked Apples a la Mode (inspired by Jenny McCoy's Baked Gala Apples recipe shared in her book Desserts for Every Season)

Ingredients
8 medium sized Gala apples, with stems if possible (Note: If using large Gala apples, the baking time will change, see directions below)
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup raisins, divided (dark, golden or any combination of both)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Vanilla Ice Cream, slightly softened

Additional Raisin Sauce
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup raisins (dark, golden or any combination of both)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
If needed, additional liquid from the pan of baked apples to slightly thin sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins and sea salt. Set aside.
3. Slice top off of each apple so that you have a top at least 3/4 inch thick. Temporarily place tops back on each apple.
3. Remove the apple core using a large melon baller. Be careful not to cut into bottom of apple.
4. Pack filling into each of the apples. Place tops back on apples. Note: If using medium sized apples you should have some filling left. If using large apples you may not have any left (not to worry, you can make additional sauce).
5. Place apples in a deep baking dish or pan, fill with 1/4 inch of water, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Remove dish/pan from oven, poke holes in aluminum foil and return to oven. If using medium sized apples, continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are fork tender. If using large apples continue baking for 30 minutes longer or until apples are fork tender (my baking time was 60 minutes for large Gala apples).
7. Remove apples from baking dish/pan.
8. If you have any of the butter/brown sugar/raisin mixture left, transfer to small saucepan, add in remaining 1/2 of raisins and cook on medium-low heat until butter has melted. Before serving top each apple with a Tablespoon of the raisin sauce.
9. If all of the butter/brown sugar/raisin mixture was used to stuff the apples, put additional sauce ingredients (see above) in a sauce pan and cook on medium-low heat until butter has melted. Note: if mixture is too thick, spoon in some of the cooking liquid into the sauce. Before serving top each apple with a Tablespoon of the raisin sauce.
10. Serve baked apples with vanilla ice cream that has been allowed to soften slightly.